Harry Potter

[ByronBlack]

Dom, PM me your address and i'll put it in the post to you.

 

[cutting42]

Slimjim - fair point, but I think the difference is that I see Dan Brown books aimed at the adult fiction market, whereas Harry Potter IMO is a childs set of books,

Bizarrely I see Dan Brown as an exact copy of Ms Rowling. Both are poor creative writers, highly derivative and pander to their markets. They are also extremely successful and rich!

However we should not be judging them by high and mighty academic ideals and trying to introduce Freud and Oedipal theories to what are plainly populist fiction.

[edit] Having just reread the thread I realise this was not directly compared, but there seemed to be a hint of HP is not high end literary - which it isn't but does not try to be either!

I also happen to enjoy them both immensely for what they are, escapist stories like a thousand other books. I enjoy Dairy milk as well as Lindt 85% cocoa chocolate!

 

[Smudger]

It's taste. I can't stand Dan Brown, but two years ago you only had to get on a commuter train to see how popular he is/was.

 

[Mike.C]

cutting42,

I also happen to enjoy them both immensely for what they are, escapist stories like a thousand other books.

Spot on.

Cheers

Mike

 

[bodgermatic]

I believe it says in some book somewhere:

"When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child. When I became a man, I put away childish things"

I have a limited life, and in that life a limited time for reading (although I read a lot). I am selective about what I read, if I start reading a book and don't enjoy it, or don't think that it's challenging me, or making me think, I stop reading it and move on. The Harry Potter series is written for children, and I don't think it would either challenge me, make me think, nor contain the levels of sex, violence and what have you (I believe they call them 'adult themes' in films) I have become accustomed to. From my point of view, a generally impoverished reading experience. I completely accept that others may enjoy them, but if one more Harry Potter fan tells me I MUST read them :roll:

 

[DomValente]

I believe it says in some book somewhere:

"When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child. When I became a man, I put away childish things"

Think that was Corinthians, which in turn was in a well known book, but nothing like Harry Potter. :roll:

I think it is our duty to retain a part of the child within us, sort of keeps everything in focus.

Dom

 

[Paul Chapman]

I think it is our duty to retain a part of the child within us, sort of keeps everything in focus.

Well, we're doing our bit, Dom, by still playing with toys - I mean tools :lol:

Cheers :wink:

Paul

 

[motownmartin]

I'm really staggered that any adult would waste their time reading Harry Potter

Then you wrote
"I have nothing against anyone who reads them"

Well your first statement doesn't read like that!


And I'm answering you from a pretty well-read perspective!

I don't think you read that very well Smudger :?

 

[ByronBlack]

guy's, this is a good debate, lets not it get personal.

Dom, this is worrying, you again make a point that I agree with about retaining some child-like qualities to remain a focus. I think i'm sometimes like that with regards to wood-working, i'm very new to it, and learning all the time, and it's with a child-like fascination I have when I get a square joint, or a good dovetail that drives me on.

But bodger - I agree in some respects to you, 'some' harry pooter fans are very evangelical about them and insist that we should all read them and benefit from them, I seem to remember a hippy like character on Richard and Judy or This morning banging on about the social 'need' for us to all take an interest in HP. But then on the other hand, there are similar nut-jobs who assume Da-Vinci code is factual and real.

 

[mudman]

I saw the first film and realised I would never want to read the books. The next films confirmed this for me. The plotlines are so weak and often non-sensical that I could never enjoy the books that I'm told the films accurately reflect.

Currently on holiday in Florida (small gloat?) and realising that I haven't been reading anything but non-fiction for a loooong time I brought Tolkien's The Children of Hurin with me. Have enjoyed it immensely sitting on the balcony with a glass of wine and a big cigar.

Talking of getting children to read, I believe that JK's books actually turned my eldest off of reading. An avid reader before, he started reading them and gave up shortly before the end of the fifth citing bordem and hasn't read anything since.

 

[Slim]

Barry, the films are not a patch on the books. As with any film adaptation, huge chunks of the plot are left out in an effort to fit it into 2 hours. Exactly the same happened with Lord of the Rings. Although the films were about 9 hours long, there was probably only about 50% of the content of the book included.

I really don't think you could possibly judge the book on the quality of the film adaptation.

 

[DomValente]

Talking of getting children to read, I believe that JK's books actually turned my eldest off of reading. An avid reader before, he started reading them and gave up shortly before the end of the fifth citing bordem and hasn't read anything since.

Hmmm, would your eldest son be in his early teens by any chance.
Seem to recall discovering there was another gender on the planet when I was that age

Dom

 

[Anonymous]

lord of the rings- I was just so grateful that at the end of the third film that it was all over, 9 hours of hobbits, elves, trolls, talking goobliedy **** with a story that just goes on and on, why waste all that time when you get the same thing on the forum ... :lol:

 

[ByronBlack]

Senior - i've always imagined you as a wizened gnarled dwarf I agree that the films are far too long.

 

[White House Workshop]

I tried reading 'The Satanic Verses' many years ago to try and see for myself what all the fuss was about - and gave up after slogging through about a third of the book. Talk about heavy going. Worse than Dickens at his most flowery! I still don't know what's got a few Muslims upset... :roll:

 

[Vormulac]

I think there are just too many people in this world who aren't happy unless they've got something to be outraged about. And too many stupid people willing to listen to them. :roll:

 

[Gill]

Given the choice of The Lord of the Rings and any Harry Potter novel as opposed to The Satanic Verses and Virginia Woolf's To The Lighthouse, I know which selection I'd make !

Is it against the Geneva Convention to inflict torture by literature? It should be!

Gill

 

[Bodrighy]

I read on average about 4 books a week and usually have at least 2 on the go at one time. They can be as caried as Harry Potter and Gullivers Travels (not a children's book by the way but a political satirte that got the author in a lot of trouble) I love Clive Cussler etc for escapism but also read Tolstoy, Dickens, Can't stand the Austens. What the heck life is short so I read whatever I can get my hands on (Except newspapers....never get one) The fact that we threw our TV out ten years ago because it was so much rubbish gives me time. What is a bad book anyway?
Pete

 

[Paul.J]

Like a lot of other adults/parents.
I started reading Harry Potter books to my kids.They lost interest,been girls i suppose but i got hooked.They have got even better as the series progresses.
The films aren't a patch on the books.
This series of books are the only ones i've read in years.
Just goes to show i'm a big kid at heart
Paul.J.

 

[Paul Chapman]

(Except newspapers....never get one)

Try "Private Eye" - it's a good laugh and you get to find out what's really going on :wink:

Cheers :wink:

Paul